52 
ORNITHOLOGIST 
[Vol. 6-No. 7. 
ORNITHOLOGIST 
—AN Dr— 
OODOOilST 
A MONTHLY MAOAZINE DEVOTED 
TO THE STUDY OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 
JOS. M. tt'AiJE, Etlitor, 
S. L. WILLARD, Assistant, 
W'ith the CO operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 
SuBSCRii’TioN —$1.00 ptr annum. Foreign eub 
Hcription $ 1. ao —including postage. Speci¬ 
men C'opien Ten Cents. 
.ro.s. .?/. 
Norivieli, Cnnii. 
Entered at NorwuJi /'. (>. ax Second Claim matter. 
Advertising. 
It has always been a matter of surprise 
to us that people will subscribe lor a paper 
devoted to a study that interests them 
above all others and neglect to at least scan 
over the advertising pages of each issue, 
which often not only contains matter ot 
etpial interest with the reading pages but 
of profit as well. Uuring the past sixty 
days we have received several letters from 
subscribers asking where the nciu check list 
could be had, and at what price, when by 
turning to the advertising pages the de¬ 
sired information would have been found, 
thereby saving not only time but the ex¬ 
pense of writing. 
In our August number was an advertise¬ 
ment by South wick iV Jencks, of Provi¬ 
dence, K. I., offering bird skins, eggs, &c., 
at reduced prices, and we doubt if any 
other firm in this country could make such 
an offering at even fancy prices. Phe ad¬ 
vertisement was limited as to time, and we 
are informed that not a single reply was re¬ 
ceived. This is not as it should be. .Such 
chances should n<)t be allowed to pass, and 
our readers will do well to read over the 
advertising pages of each number. 
- — - 
Show this magazine to your ornithologi¬ 
cal friends and induce them to subscribe. 
Caspian Tern in Rhode Island. 
On referring to the Oologist for Octo- 3 
ber, 1879, No. 4, page 32, we find there re- j 
corded by Mr. B. J. Peckham the capture ■ 
of a Caspian Tern at Brightman’s Pond 1 
the measurement of which is given as fol- ’ 
lows: “Length, 21 inches; extent of wings 1 
from tip to tip, 50 inches; bill, 2 7-8 inches; 
tail, 6 1-4 inches. Description; Head,! 
black; a narrow white line under the eye; 
neck and underneath, pure white; back and 1 
wings, dark lavender; outer primaries, dark 
gray in the inner webs; tail, of a shade be¬ 
tween a gray and while; bill, very strong 
and of a bright vermillion at the lip; legs 
and feet, black; tail, forked.” So that the 
announcement in our last of an '^Addition 
to the Rhode Island Fauna " is incorrect. 
.4 Savage Fight. —During the past 
breeding .season, a pair of White-bellied 
Swallows selected for a nesting place a bro¬ 
ken conductor which projected some four 
feet from our factory wall, about fifty feet 
high, .‘\lthough this was only about four 
inches in diameter, these birds would II) 
directly into this pipe without alighting on 
the edge. We watched them daily with 
much interest and all went well until the 
young were a few days old when a pair of‘ 
House Sjiarrows appeared on the scene to 
take possession ot the nesting place when 
a fierce battle ensued. The male Sparrow 
flew onto the entrance of the nest, when 
one of the Swallows, presumably the mile. 
Hew at him like a dart, and from this mo¬ 
ment until the Sparrows left the scene the 
struggle was uninterrupted. No matter 
where the Sparrow went the Swallow would 
follow and strike him, and in this way gave 
him no rest until he was perfectly tired out. 
In the struggle the Sparrow would often 
fall as if dead from pure exhaustion, and 
yet he would not abandon the nesting 
place, but would, when tired, fly into the 
gutter under the eaves, hoping by this ruse 
to get rested; but the Swallow’ would give 
no rest even there but would grapjile with 
